Tribes

Handbook

Example Indian Names

Every member must choose a Native American name. The selection of a name for parent and child should be done with the same respect and ceremony that is practiced by the American Indian. The name should reflect honor, and the bearer should carry it with honor.

The American Indians grant names to their children in the following ways, which your tribe can consider in selecting names that have meaning for each specific person.

The elders’ vision of what the child may turn out to be.

Something that stood out in the parents’ minds on the day the child was born.

The traits of the parent or child (Great Thunder, Keen Eyes, Quiet Squirrel).

The spelling provided in the “Indian Word” column is the English spelling of the Amerindian word. This is due to the fact that many Amerindian letters are symbols not in the English alphabet. Even words that do have similar symbols do not necessarily sound the way they may look to a non-native speaker. To make it easier on those who wish to use these words in writing, only the English spelling has been provided. If no English spelling is known to exist, one was made up that closely resembled its pronunciation.